15 hours ago
Rest In Peace, Lady Summer
I grew up listening to Donna Summer. My mother would play her vinyls in our apartment and it was hard to get away from seeing her video “She Works Hard For the Money” on MTV (when MTV actually played music videos). Donna Summer was part of the very fabric of my childhood, and you don’t want to know how many times I’ve heard “Last Dance” at a karaoke bar. ^_^
Miss D, you’ve given us so much joy and broken a lot of barriers during your time, and I just want to say “thank you” for giving us all lots of wonderful memories through your recordings and performances. Your music was definitely part of the soundtrack of my life.
Rest in Peace.
Juicing Day 8 & 9 Double Play Video
Sorry I wasn’t able to post up day 8 & 9 separately, but I’ve been having issues with my internet. Thankfully I was able to put them up today.
By the way, because of the success my friend has had on her diet plan (she’s lost over 100 lbs thus far – it’s taken awhile, but I’m really proud of her), I decided to join the “myfitnesspal.com” site to see if it’ll help me on my goal.
Ultimately I want my goal BMI (Body Mass Index) to be anywhere between 20-22, which is considered a normal body weight. In scale terms, it would require me to lose approximately 100 lbs. I’m not expecting to do it overnight, but this fast is a great start.
In the meantime, here’s the 2nd to last video in my juicing saga. Thanks for all the support!
Day 8 & 9
Sorry I haven’t posted them, but I’ve been working and haven’t had the opportunity to edit them yet. No, I have not broken. One more day to go!
I’ve gotten some crazy looks from people I’ve told and more odd looks when I’ve told them for how long.
I wonder if Joe Cross came across the same thing.
Anyway, I’ll try to post everything ASAP, but that may be a day or so.
One more day until I go back to solid foods! YAY!
Juicing Day 7 – A Short Update
A very short update, now that this leg of my journey is coming close to it’s end.
Thanks to all of you that have been watching and have been so supportive.
Juicing Day 5 – The Halfway Mark
I survived the trip to the movie theater.
Went swimming and survived,
And I’m now on the halfway mark.
Just a little more and I’ll be done.
Day 3 – Cotton Mouth
Body is still getting acclimated, but I’m starting to feel some of the transitory effects.
I found out just how weak I really am on this, the hard way.
Day 2 – Cravings
Cravings are starting to kick in.
Some other interesting side effects I’ve started noticing after I filmed…
My tongue is starting to feel fuzzy. I had this same sensation when I was on the lemonade diet.
I’m also starting to feel hunger pangs, even if I drink water or more juice to resolve it. That was unusual.
Frightening though, for a moment, I felt some actual pain in my side and in my chest, but I’m not certain if this had anything to do with this.
I also think my body thinks I’m going into starvation mode. I may have dropped 5lbs, but my BMI (Body Mass Index) by 2 points. It’s still early and I really shouldn’t have weighed myself so soon. I’ll restrict myself to once a week. At least I didn’t try to measure myself.
If you have any questions, just let me know.
Thanks for checking-in!
-Janifer
Revelation: Habits – Last prelim day
The day before the fast and I’ve come to realize that it may be more than hunger or food addiction, but a fixation on chewing food that needs to be kicked…
Priorities
I’m going to unintentionally sound like an info-mercial during this post, just to warn you.
I’ve been overweight for as long as I can remember, and that’s not from lack of trying. I’ve been on diets, had personal trainers, on doctor supervised diets, cleanses, exercised daily for two years straight… needless to say, I’ve made the attempt.
In the past several months, I’d begun to resign myself to the idea of me staying this way for the remainder of my days, not excited about the prospect, but not seeing any way of making the change I wanted.
Then something interesting happened…
I was at home watching Netflix when I came across a documentary entitled “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead” by Joe Cross, an Australian who went on a 60 day juice fast to reboot his body and cure himself of his skin disorder. The movie and the two stories (of Joe and Phil – both going through the fast) really inspired me.
I’ve fasted before, on protein shakes, on the lemonade diet, but nothing like this. After going through all the formalities, I made up my mind and decided to do it, so I purchased a juicer, some books on juicing, and joined an online community. To keep myself on track, I started a vlog and playlist for that vlog to follow my journey, which I am planning on filming daily. The video you see here was from yesterday, when I decided to put together my introductory video. I’m in the preliminary stages of the juice fast, incorporating them into my diet while I’m still eating solid foods, so as not to fully shock my system. To reinforce my resolve, I’ve re-watched the movie daily to keep my mind wired to the success this program has been to others and to help me stay focused on my goals.
My goal right now is 10 days, and if it’s successful, maybe longer, but baby steps right now.
My career has always been paramount to me, but my health needs to take center stage for a while, which is why I’m sharing this info with you. I’m not stopping my singing/performing/writing/recording, mind you, only taking more responsibility and a more proactive approach to what’s important. In other words, I will be continuing my vlog update as well, just to let you know.
I’m looking forward to sharing my success with you, as always.
If you have any questions, or would like to join me on my quest, let me know.
Love you all!
-Janifer
Update – We’re Getting The Band Back Together…
Got a video update for you… and it’s starting to remind me of The Muppets.
Then again, The Muppet Show was awesome, so what am I being weird about?
And below that is a recording of me singing Grace Potter’s version of Beyonce’s “Why Don’t You Love Me” with Jason Sprinzen on guitar. Once you watch the video, you’ll understand.
…and yeah, there’s a sliver of info about “The Voice”.
Let me know what the good word is, and thanks for watching & listening! ^_~
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Video Happy
Let me tell you a short story…
Last week I went and auditioned for “The Voice”. Ironically, the judge I got this time around was the same judge I got last season, and he gave me a “maybe”, just like he did last time. When I asked him what I needed to improve upon to make it to the next rounds, he said I had to stop being so “showy”. Upon further explanation, he said that I needed to be mindful of the size of the room and that I needed to do the exact opposite of what most people are told to do at auditions and pull back. He also made note that he loved my voice and loved my whole rock/soul thing, and that he could really see me on the stage with a mic performing it, but it was still going to be a maybe.
So… As a power singer, I’m supposed to pull back on my power chops for an audition regarding a show that has at least three power vocalists this season… two which are going to the live rounds…
…I’m sorry, but I really don’t think I can accept that response.
So I’ve decided to submit directly to casting in California.
Yeah, I can be stubborn like that.
Because of it, and the fact that I’m not able to travel to any of the other cities to try out again this season, I have recorded video of me singing with a couple of different ideas. You can check them out below. Please “like” them on youtube when you get a chance. ^_^
Thank you to The Human Karaoke Experience & Crash Course Karaoke for letting me film, thank you to Dancing Joe & Kristina for filming me, and thank you for watching!
Macy Gray – “I Try” with Crash Course Karaoke
U2 – “With or Without You” (Edited) with The Human Karaoke Experience
Allman Bros. – “Whipping Post” with The Human Karaoke Experience
Pat Benetar – “Promises in the Dark” with The Human Karaoke Experience
Roxette – “Listen to Your Heart” with The Human Karaoke Experience
Let me know what you think!
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New Photos Courtesy of L.R. Nichtern
If you haven’t seen it yet, I’ve just posted some of the photos from the L.R. Nichtern photo shoot I did back in November.
Thank you to Laurie Rose Nichtern for taking the wonderful photos and we hope you like them.
What a Special Leap Day!!!
Happy leap day, everyone! Today is pretty special for two reasons:
- My DailySingle article is out today! Go check it out!
- I’ve posted a new vlog on youtube. You can watch it below.
Thanks to Daron K. Harris for interviewing me for the magazine and to Vinnie Langdon for inspiring me to do these vlogs again.
And if you have any questions, feel free to contact me here or through twitter @janifer, facebook at janifer.music or via email at janiferonline@gmail.com.
See you soon!
Happy Fat Tuesday!
Happy Fat Tuesday! Today is the last day of Mardi Gras and the day before Ash Wednesday. Fat Tuesday is a day generally spent living it up before the start of the “fasting” period until Easter Sunday. Some people give up a food item, some people give up a bad habit. Haven’t really decided what I’m giving up this time around, but we all have until midnight.
So, if you get the chance, party, enjoy yourself, and have fun on the last day of mardi gras.
Bonne chance, mon ami,
-Janifer
Rest In Peace, Whitney Houston
I have a confession to make: Whitney Houston reminds me of my mother. Well, my mother, if my mom was born African American. Her aura and her style just reminded me of my mom, ever since the 80′s when I first saw Whitney. Maybe because they had the same type of energy. I don’t know. When I was a kid, I would make that comparison. How my dad reminded me of John Ridder and how my aunt Lily reminded me of Gina Davis. I chuck it up to watching too much television as a child, raised on the MTV generation.
Over the years, however, it was disheartening to watch the downward spiral of Whitney’s glorious career and talent. Being a singer myself, I watched in awe at Whitney during her hay day, but recall the one episode of hers and Bobby Brown’s short lived reality show, how Whitney really didn’t have much love for her career. It was a job to her, and perhaps, that’s why her voice towards the end, became so far gone.
On Saturday, when I got the new feed that Whitney had passed, I didn’t believe it. I immediately went to check out the story and realized it was true. The woman that reminded me of my mother when I was a child was now gone. Kinda like Wendy Williams, I didn’t watch the Grammys, instead I reevaluated my goals and what I wanted. I watched some inspirational films and such, but overall, I laid low. As awesomely talented Whitney was, I wondered, toward the end, was she happy or was she just going through the motions?
A week before Whitney died, her song “You Give Good Love” kept playing in my head. Strange, because I hadn’t heard it in ages, then suddenly, it popped up. I tried it in karaoke and recorded it. I was going by memory, since it had been since the 80′s since I heard it, so please forgive me if it’s not up to my regular quality. I just thought I’d share.
Rest in peace, Whitney. God blessed you with a great gift that you were gracious enough to share with all of us while you were here. Thank you for all the joy it brought to everyone who heard you.